Fire-extinguisher.



' -delivery nozzle.

T STA@ ATENT THEODORE M. DUNLA-P, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T0 HARRY ltdlgl, OlF THE STATE 0F LLINOIS. l

FIRE-EXTINGUISHER.

Specication of Letters Patent.

.Application tiled October 5, 1914, Serial No. 864,989. Renewed .Tune 16, 1916. Serial No. 104,097.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, THEoDonn M. DUNLAP, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Fire-Extinguishers, of which the following is a speciication.

My invention relates to fire extinguishers, more particularly of the transportable type in which a iire extinguishing liquid is contained in a vessel of such size as to be conveniently held in the hands of the user.

The object of the invention is to provide .a device so constructed that the last drop, so

to speak, of the liquid is available to be discharged at the iire. My present device is similar in some respects to the device shown in nuy Patent No. 1,185,639, granted June 6, 191

1n the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters denote like parts in the diderent views;

Figure l is a side elevation, chiefly in longitudinal section, of the complete device.

Fig. 2 is a view chiefly in longitudinal section on a plane at right angles to the plane of section of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a transverse section -on the line 3 3, Fig. 1.

1n the form shown in the accompanying drawings. the container 1 is cylindrlcahhaving the rear end closed bv a cap 2, and the front end closed by a cap 3. A short distance back of the forward end is a partition 4 which divides the container into two unequal compartments, the rear and by far the larger compartment being. for the fire extinguishing liquid, while the forward compartment which is not Vrevealed in the drawings contains the pumping mechanism by which the liquid is forced out through the proper The pumping mechanism is not illustrated in detail in the present application for it is not directly, concerned with my present invention, and a suitable type of pumping mechanism is shown and described in detail in said patent. It is sutlicient for the present purpose to say that the pumping mechanism is operated by a` crank 5 and that when said crank is rotated it forcibly draws liquid through the delivery pipe 6 which connects with the delivery noz- Zle. The hub of said crank also operates a lever 7 which controls a ventvalve 8 seating in the casing 9.

rlhe delivery tube 6 passes forward through the partition 4 and at the inner or rear end communicates with the inside of the valve casing 10. Said valve casing in the present design is cylindrical and has a forward head 1l`and a rear head 12 preferably constructed just alike. and having bosses 13 which receive ends of the reiieX or U tubes 14. There is a port 15 in each of said heads through which uid may flow from the reflex tube to the interior of the valve casing 10. 1n the preferred design here shown each reHeX tube makes a return bend so that a portion 14a of the tube will lie parallel to the casing in contact with the wall of the container. rlhe portions 14a are soldered or otherwise fastened Ito the container and hence form convenient means for Supporting the valve casing.

The reflex tubes 14 areA supplied with liquid through pipes 17 which are ordinarily about 3 or 4`inches in length. rlhese are rigid and are connected to the reflex tubes by Hexible joints 18. The parts move easily relatively to each other and hence permit the far ends of the receiving tubes 17 to drop freely under the action of gravity. lin consequence the open ends of the receiving tubes 17 are always in contact with the lowest portion of the container 1, no matter what position said container is made to assume. Said tubes are long enough so that their outer ends come practically to the ends of the container and hence will draw liquid so long as any liquid remains.

As shown in the drawing, particularly in Fig. 1, the reex tubes 14 are so formed that the liquid will be conducted from the receiving pipe 17 at one end 0f the container to the opposite end of the valve casing 10.

The apertures 15 in the valve casing are controlled by valves 20 which are guided by the casing and preferably formed integral with the heads 11 and 12. Between the valves 20, which are in the form of balls, is a larger ball 23 which fits loosely within the caslng and is of such diameter as to aiford the necessary amount of play to the valves 20 without permitting said valvesto leave their guide 21.

' guides 21 extending longitudinally inside of p In operation, the user grasps the container in one hand, and with the other hand rotates the crank 5, thus creating suction in tube 6 and automatically openlng u the vent 8. If the container is held Practlcally horizontal the fire extinguishing liquid will .be drawn through both of the receiving tubes 17 into the casing 20 and out through the duct 6. Ordinarily, however, one end or the other of the container will be held lower than the'other. In such case the liquid will be drawn through the lower one of the tubes 17 and will be conducted by said lower tube and the -connected reflux tubes through the j upper end of the valve casing. At such time gravity, acting upon the balls in the valve casing, will cause them to gravitate toward the lower end of the casing and open the port at the upper end of the casing and simultaneously close the valve at the lower end of the casing. By thus closing the valve at the lower end of the casing communication will be shut 0E from the tube 17 which is temporarily uppermost. This prevents air from ettmg into the casing 10 in case the liquid as been partially drawn oli from the container, and the receiving end of the uppermost tube 17 is above the level of the liquid.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my devicer will work in all positions and yet isof very simple construction, having no internal valves or journal bearings other than the valves which control the ports in the casing 10. These controlling valves in my device are simply balls which of course can be made cheaply and uniformly.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A re extinguisher having a container,

a delivery duct, a valve casing delivering to said duct, gravity operated valves in said casing, receiving tubes located at opposite ends of Ithe container, return bend tubes each leading from one end of the valve casing to the receiving tube at the opposite end of the container, and flexible joints connecting said receiving tubes to said return bend tubes, said return bend tubes passin to the walls of the container and being astened thereto for supporting the valve casing.

2. In a lire extin isher, a container, a valve casing in sai container, means for conducting the liquid from said casing to the outside of the container, gravity operated'valves in said casing, receiving tubes in said container, and reflex tubes leading from said receiving tubes to the valve casing, said receiving tubes being located at opposite ends of the container, and each reiex tube leading from the receiving tube at one end of thecontainer to the far end of the casing.

ire extinguisher, a cylindrical container, a cylindrical valve casing located approximately in the center of said container parallel therewith, a duct for delivering the liquid from said easing to the exterior of the container, ports in the ends of said casing, ball valves controlling said ports, means for guiding said valves, a center ball tting loosely within said casing and backing up the ball valves therein, and means having receiving mouths near the opposite ends of the container for conducting the liquid to said ports.

4. In a fire extinguisher, a cylindrical container, a cylindrical valve casing located approximately in the center of said container parallel therewith, arduct for delivering the liquid from said casing to the exterior of the container, ports 1n the ends of said casing, ball `valves controlling said ports, means for uiding said valves, a center ball fitting loosegly within said casing and backing up the ball valves therein, U tubes leading to said ports, and receiving tubes leading to said U-tubes, said receiving tubes having their receiving ends near the opposite ends of said container and said receiving tubes being flexibly connected to their respective U-tubes, the U-tubes passing tangentially to the walls of the container and being fastened thereto for supporting said valve casin In a ire extinguisher, a container, a valve casing located approximately in the center of said container parallel therewith, a duct for deliveringthe liquid from said casing to the exterior of the container, ports in the ends of said casing, valves controlling said ports, a center ball fitting loosely within said casing and movable longitudinally therein to operate said valves, and' means having receiving mouths near the opposite ends of the container for conducting the liquid to said ports.

6. In a lire extinguisher operable in any poistion, in combination: a liquid container; a valve casing located within and substantially centrally of the container; a duct for delivering liquid from said casing to the exterior of the container, said duct being fixed with respect to the container and extending or the major portion of its length adjacent lthe inner wall of the container; ports in said casing; valves controlling said ports and so arranged that when the container is tilted with one end up, one port is closed and vice versa; and unobstructedly movable receiving tubes each having one end thereof in communication with? and Iixed with respect to one of said ports, the free ends of said receiving tubes having intake mouths near the ends of the container, said tubes having flexible portions intermediate their mouths and said ports, the specified location of the casin and delivery duct permitting free, pendu ous movements of the corresponding intake tube in the corresponding end portion of the container, Whereby one of said intake mouths Will always be at the loW point of the container in any position of the latter.

7. In a transportable and reversible tire extinguisher, in combination: a container adapted to contain a fireI extinguishing Huid; receiving tubes having their entrance ends respectively arranged near the opposite interior ends of the container and freely movable therein by gravity'to all of the various low points of the container according to the position of the latter and having their delivery ends xed near the longitudinal center of the container; means for delivering the Huid from the interior of the container to the exterior thereof, said means being ofi, set to one side of the container at the end Where the fluid is delivered from the container to thereby leave the corresponding inner end of the container"'substantially free from obstruction by said means and permitting said free movement of the entrance end of the corresponding receiving tube therein; mechanism for causing the fluid to flow from the container through said receiving tubes and out through said delivery means; and means for connecting either of said delivery ends of the receiving tubes With said delivery means and for correspondingly closing the other of said delivery ends against the passage of fluid.

8. In a re extinguisher, in combination: a liquid container; a valve casing located centrally of the container; a delivery duct in communication with said casing and extending therefrom to the exterior of lthe casing and adapted to discharge the liquid from one end of the container, said delivery duct being disposed near the Wall of the container at the end from which the liquid is discharged; and a pair of intake tubes also in communication with said casing, said intake tubes being each lixedly attached at sume positions substantially paralleling the l axis of the container to thereby permit complete discharge of the container in all positions of the latter.

9. In a device of the character described, in combination: a liquid container; a valve casing ixedly mounted Within the container near the center thereof; a pair of intake tubes, one attached at each end of the casing, said tubes having iexible portions included therein and the free ends of said tubes extending to opposite ends of the container; valves in said casing arranged to control communication between said tubes and the interior of the casing; a delivery duct leading from the casing and adapted to discharge the fluid to the exterior of the container, said delivery duct being disposed adjacent the Wall of the container for a portion of its length and leaving the corresponding interior end of the container substantially unobstructed to permit free pendulous movement of the corresponding intake tube located Within said end of the container; and means for causing the liquid to flow from the container through said tubes into the casing and then be discharged through said delivery duct.

` yIn Witness whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of tWo Witnesses. -THEODORE M. DUNLAP. Witnesses: SIDNEYv L. MODE,

JULIA M. BRISTOL. 

